Work Text:
A laboratory was typically not a place associated with deep, restful sleep. With the air conditioner never rising above sixty-seven degrees, tiles that squeaked with each step of a rubber-soled shoe, and the constant whirring and beeping of machinery didn’t lend itself to the most comfortable of environments. Constant exposure to blue light from computer monitors and tablet screens made it hard enough to allow the brain to shut off for the day – and for them to be running at night? Forget about sleep.
Neroli, however, kept his laboratory space as comfortable as possible. After all, researching sleep made him acutely aware of just how many creature comforts were required to get near-perfect data from the control groups involved in each sleep study. Though he couldn’t get funding for bedrooms, much to his dismay, he was able to secure room dividers so that the test subjects weren’t forced to sleep alongside strangers. Typically, he set it up so that there were no more than four people involved at a time. It allowed him to set up a decently sized storage room with a machinery station between each divider – an electroencephalography and electrocardiography reader, a pulse oximeter, and a simple audio and video recorder to monitor any movement or disturbance. After all, the utmost care and consideration had to be taken when it came to the subjects of his study. Ultimately, no matter how much it could skew the data, Neroli put their wellbeing and comfort first.
Most volunteers for the research program were research fellows or graduate students at the local universities. However, he did occasionally get folks who had heard of his studies and wanted to see what it was about, or folks who needed the money. It didn’t matter to him why they were there, all that mattered was that they were willing to help him in his pursuit of furthering his scientific goals.
Neroli fluffed up a pillow and rest it against the headboard of the final bed, smoothing down the pale blue comforter it laid atop of. He had to pay out of his own pocket to change the scratchy blankets with something softer and fluffier, but it was well worth it. He saw a three percent increase in successful REM cycle completion after the replacement, so it was adequately worth it in his book. Besides, it kept his subjects warm, which was a repeat problem in his lab. A carafe of water was placed on the table beside the bed, along with a box of tissues, a USB charger, and a small reading light. The overhead lights would be dimmed at eight thirty, approximately an hour after the arrival of the next group. Checking his watch, he hummed in approval – only five minutes until the subjects would be let into the lab.
One by one, they were greeted by Neroli with a smile. He was always pleased to meet new people, especially when they were helping him with his research. Each subject was led back to their respective cubbies, shown where to put their personal belongings, and left to their own devices. He gave them a chance to use the restroom and wash up, as they would be attached to the EEG and EKG monitors at eight.
As the final subject entered, Neroli took notice of how exhausted they already appeared to be. Dark circles underneath the eyes, constant yawning into their sleeve, and the telltale nodding of their head when they sat down told him enough about the presumed graduate student in his lab. He quickly scribbled down notes in his logbook before going to the other subjects. Hopefully, the young student would be able to stay awake until he could attach them to the monitors. He was thankful that he had done this many times before, as it could be difficult to connect the wires to the right ports for a less-experienced scientist. He left an instruction sheet for the morning, as each would be tended to by a different research fellow who would remove their monitors and send them on their way. Neroli was rarely involved in the process of waking his subjects up, as he was usually fighting off sleep himself, finishing up the data collections and heading home for a well-deserved nap.
Finally reaching subject four, Neroli was slightly relived and slightly concerned to find the student still awake, anxiously twisting the fabric of their sweater cuff between their fingers. He felt for the student, knowing that it could be quite nerve-wracking to experience a sleep study for the first time. Most people struggled with unfamiliar spaces, after all. Reminding them of their option to drop out of the study at any point, neroli focused on getting them settled in for the evening.
“I’m going to be attaching these monitors to your head and chest. The sticky gel is a bit cold, but it’ll warm up in a couple of minutes.” He reassured them, gently brushing the hair from their face to attach two of them to their forehead, just under the hairline. When the subject flinched, he gave a sympathetic smile, nodding his head. “I know. It’s pretty cold, isn’t it?”
The student nodded, hugging the blanket close to their chest. They watched Neroli with curious eyes, though, appearing to be less nervous the more he spoke to them. It encouraged him to continue explaining.
“The ones on your head are going to monitor the electrical activity in your brain. It's going to show me what kind of sleeper you are – each brain wave, which is the electrical activity, is different depending on what cycle of sleep you’re in. The ones on your chest are there to measure your heart rate. It’s to make sure you’ve got a nice, steady flow of blood.” He grabbed the pulse oximeter and clipped it onto their finger, unable to help the fond smile when the student tilted their head in curiousity. “That’s a pulse oximeter. It measures… well, your pulse, and the level of oxygen in your blood.”
Another nod was cut short by a yawn, as they reached up to sleepily rub at their eyes. With a chuckle, Neroli helped them lean back against the pillows. “You oughta get some rest, it seems as though you need it. There’s instructions on the nightstand for what to expect when you wake up – another researcher will wake you and remove the monitors.” He smoothed out his lab coat, smiling. “Please don’t hesitate to hit the call button if you should need me for anything at all. I’d be happy to assist you.” He hummed, satisfied when he received a nod and a soft smile from his test subject. “Alright, my friend. Have a good rest.” He left the cubby, pulling the sliding curtain shut behind himself.
The walk to the lab across the hall was short, yet Neroli could barely contain his excitement. It had been a month since he had been able to work with a control group, and data analysis was the best part of his job. The screens already had data pouring over them. While all four subjects were awake, he could see the steady decline into slow-wave readings for the youngest and most quiet subject, number four.
“This is great. They clearly needed the rest.” Neroli said, glancing over at his Snoralax who was miraculously awake at the moment. “Are you planning on staying up with me tonight?”
A huff and a snort from the Pokemon alongside him made him laugh, knowing he had basically been told to “In your dreams”.
“It was worth a shot, anyways.” He reached over, patting his beloved Pokémon on the head. “Go on, to bed with you.”
Snoralax needed no further instruction, as he laid his big paws on his belly, letting out soft snores. It was precious every time he saw it, even if he had raised him from a little Munchlax.
“Guess it’s just me tonight.” Neroli hummed, starting to transfer data into a spreadsheet open on his third monitor screen. All the while, he focused on typing up the profiles on each test subject, giving information on their age and occupation to the observed behavior in their first meetings earlier that evening. The ages this time around ranged from twenty-five to thirty-seven, a perfectly fine gap, in his opinion. He preferred to work with a range of subjects, as it kept his material from skewing towards one direction or another based on age-related factors.
An hour went by, then two, then three. By midnight, his subjects were all asleep – most had been since ten o’clock. A few blips in the data popped up here and there, though nothing of much note. Normal awakenings for a sip of water or to adjust blankets only enhanced the data.
Despite his excitement, Neroli found himself yawning. Even the love of his work couldn’t keep him from getting tired – and he was a generally sleepy person when it came down to it. Perhaps he shouldn’t have turned down the last cup of coffee offered to him at six o’clock that evening. No matter. He would just put on some quiet music and try and work on something else in the meantime.
As he opened up a fresh spreadsheet, he glanced over at the monitor that had the split cameras, noticing a flash of movement. Subject four had thrashed out in their sleep, knocking a blanket from the bed. Frowning, Neroli pulled up their file, starting to record the small anomaly in the data. Perhaps it was a frequent occurrence for the graduate student. After all, they certainly weren’t the first to kick around in their sleep – it was quite common, actually. However, his frown only deepened when their audio monitor began to pick up on soft whimpers and whines.
Now, he was at a crossroads. It could have been a nightmare, an upset stomach, a headache – any plethora of things can cause a fuss in someone’s sleep. However, it could also be nothing at all. He had the option to wake them up and ensure that they were feeling alright. After all, could cite a number of times when a subject woke up sick, or crying from a nightmare. It always broke his heart, but he did manage to calm a majority of them down.
Still, though, if nothing was happening, he would cause a large blip in the otherwise undisturbed EEG reading. He really didn’t want to ruin the data; however, he kept a close eye on the screen and an even closer ear on the audio recorder. A few minutes went by without a disturbance, and Neroli felt much more relaxed. Perhaps it really was nothing, after all.
Then, the subject started to cry, and Neroli was on his feet.
Entering the research room, he made his way to their cubby, stepping inside past the curtain. He had to be gentle in his approach, not wanting to startle or cause alarm. “Excuse me?”
A soft whimper was all he received in response, as a face covered in tears appeared from underneath the blanket. An even quieter apology was whispered to him, though admittedly, they barely spoke up.
“No need to apologize.” Neroli assured them, as he pulled a chair up next to the bed. “What’s the matter?” He asked, voice soft, gentle. A tissue was passed to the student, though when they didn’t try and take it, he cleaned the tears from their cheeks himself. “Did you have a nightmare?”
They nodded softly, fresh tears welling up in their eyes. Neroli made a quiet cooing sound, rubbing their shoulder. “I know, they can be quite frightening. Do you want to talk about it?” A lack of response made him even more concerned, though he supposed they simply didn’t want to speak. They had barely said a word to him since the study began, and so he was able to at least discern that this was normal behavior. “It’s alright, if you don’t want to speak. You don’t have to.”
Sniffling, they nodded again. Neroli moved to wipe their face before he made the decision to remove the monitors from their head. He expected a bit more confusion, but they instead allowed him to take them off the machinery, offering them a wipe to clean off the sticky adhesive left behind.
Gratefully, they took it, wiping down their chest and at least trying to clean where the monitors were on their head. When they stood to begin packing their things, though, Neroli stopped them.
“You don’t have to leave. Even if I’ve decided to stop the study for you, I wouldn’t kick you out.” He reassured them, offering another tissue. “Do you think you’ll be able to sleep again?”
Shrugging, they looked down at the ground, rubbing their hand along their arm.
“Would you rather join me in the observation room?”
They glanced up, nodding softly.
“Ah, alright. Come along, my friend.” Neroli picked up their bag, carrying it to the observation room with him. He chuckled when he saw the small plush swinub in their arms. “Do you prefer ground, or ice types?”
“Ice.” They whispered, squeezing the plush.
“I’m a fan of ice types, too. Mamoswine is one of my favorite Pokémon.” He grinned, holding the door open and guiding them to the armchair in the corner of the room. “Here. I have this for when I spend the night here. Admittedly, its not great for your back, but it’s nice and comfortable.” Neroli went to the small cabinet beside his desk, getting out a fleece blanket. “Would you like a blanket?”
Reaching out with both hands, they took it and spread it across their lap, squeezing their swinub stuffed toy close to their chest. Neroli could tell the circles under their eyes were only made worse by crying, but he was thankful that they seemed comfortable around him. In fact, it appeared that they were already falling back asleep.
Taking a seat in his rolling chair, he scooted over to them, placing a water next to the chair and offering an extra pillow. “You get some rest. I’ll be right here if you need me, alright?” Neroli squeezed their hand, softening at the shy and happy smile he received in return. Turning back to the desk, he kept watch of his data, glancing back every so often to check on them.
Truthfully, he didn’t mind losing the data that would have fulfilled a slot in his project. He was just happy to help. After all, everyone needed a good night’s sleep.